Home Schooling Summer Enrichment Resources

Why Co-operative games for Home Schooling?

Co-operative games produce less aggressive behaviors during and after play and, that as a result, they require less direct supervision by the teachers, it’s a win/win. Read more below…

I am told that summer is here as I listen to the rain thundering down, watch the road being washed away, and me shivering in the cold room, temp 7 Celsius. The upside? Perfect weather for staying indoors and playing co-operative board games.

What would I suggest? Something in keeping with the season? Something educational? I think we have all that, and games which are even fun to play as well!

By Age Category…
The Hungry Ones 3 in 1 Co-op Games If one or more creatures hog most of the seeds, sadly some will go hungry.MULTI-AGE
Hungry Ones, about feeding Birds and Squirrels
Speedy Parcel, about delivering parcels…good for any season.

FOR THE YOUNG
Aunty’s Apples, working in an apple orchard and learning lotsa stuff
Berries, Bugs & Bullfrogs – learn about our animal friends
Harvest Time – work together to farm the land
Walk in the Woods – an outdoor adventure when you’re stuck inside

Birds of Summer - 2 to 6 players, Ages 7 to Adult Click for a larger image A Co-operative Card Game™. Players are parent Birds trying to save their Baby Birds from Predators such as Hawks and Cats. The cards provide 6 Places for Nests, 6 Birds, 6 Predators and 6 Kinds of Food. All the action takes place on the Neighborhood Chart. Predator Dangers are placed near the Neighborhood. Places to make Nests are played first, then Nests, then Food for each Nest, which attracts a Predator. Will we, the parent Birds, be able to chase away the Predator? Clever play will make all the difference, as we talk over our plans and make careful choices, with each player making an important contribution. This game is exciting and educational: memory, math and problem solving skills are nurtured as well. Includes: 35 cards, neighborhood chart, rules. © 2006SEVEN to ADULT
Birds of Summer – Save the baby birds!
Farmers’ Market – Help the farmers by buying from them at the market

NINE to ADULT
Coyote…all about coyotes and saving the sheep
Let’s Go Hiking – Let your fingers do the walking
Let’s Go Touring, all about travelling places

TWELVE to ADULT
Earth Game…saving the planet…a peace game
Power Blackout….keep the hydro power going
Personal Portraits…this game can be summed up as “Let’s Talk!” (tip of
hat to Joan Rivers)

Warp 'n Woof 2 to 4 players, Ages 12 to Adult Click for a larger image Players must carefully weave their pieces past each other to Home (the opposite corner). A traffic jam will lose the game for everyone. Tactics involve self-sacrifice, luck of the dice and cleverness in using the opportunities that Chance provides. The game has the 'feel' of backgammon. For younger players, set it up with fewer pieces. For serious strategists, the game can be recorded as you delve into the intricate world of openings, and mid and endgame tactics. 2 to 4 players, ages 12 to adult. Includes: 12 x 12" board, 4 sets of colored wooden pieces, dice, illustrated rules. © 1983 Our customers say: "This is a very elegant game. I love to play it with my daughter." — Las Vegas, USASTRATEGY
Starwords…if you like word games
Warp ‘n Woof…a very brainy game

GROUP
Not An Island…let your imaginations soar

BOOKS
Games Kit…pencil & paper games
Marble Games…a collection of marble games played co-operatively. No tears,
no fights.

Co-operative Parlor Games eBookMobile Games for Family Fun
If you are stuck inside, or traveling, and board games are not practical, try one of our mobile options!

Our Co-operative Parlor Games manual is available as an eBook for any mobile device or computer. It’s loaded with games for all ages which require little or no equipment. Your choice of Kindle, Kobo, or Mac iBook formats.

Try out Max the Cat for iPad

One of our perennial favorite board games, Max the Cat, is available as an app for iPad/iPhone. All the same action and suspense in the palm of your hand. It’s a purrfect cooperative distraction for that long car trip. Kids 4 and up can work together to save the little creatures from Max.

Books: Games Manual, Marble Games, Games Kit, Games Plans

Early Childhood: Bambino Dino, Early Years, Granny’s House, Harvest Time, Sand Castles

Elementary School: Animal Trackers, Berries Bugs & Bullfrogs, Funny Face, Hugs & Tickles, Yard Sale

Geography: Let’s Go Digging, Mountaineering, Somewhere In the Rockies, Explorers, Somewhere in the Honduras, Somewhere in China

Gifted Resources: Investigators, Sky Travelers, Hotel Ritz, Space Future, Power Blackout, Mayan Calendar, Jsch

Social Studies: Community, Our Town, Ploughshares, Then There Were None, Earth Game, New America

Summer Enrichment: Walk In the Woods, Birds of Summer, Let’s Go Hiking, Farmers Market

Thinking Skills: Gridlock, Maze, Zen Blocks, Brainy Games, Blues Away, Diplomatic Mission, Warp n Woof

Why Co-operative games for Home Schooling?

Games make learning fun. But competitive games pit learners against each other, so someone always ends up feeling bad, or left out.

Play as friends, not as enemies! Our games foster the spirit of co-operation. Players help each other climb a mountain, make a community, bring in the harvest, complete a space exploration… They are never against each other.

After all, the initial impulse to play a game is social; that is, we bring out a game because we want to do something together. How ironic then that in most games, we spend all our efforts trying to bankrupt someone, destroy their armies — in other words, to get rid of one another! We soon learn how to pick on the other person’s weaknesses in order to win the game.

In sharing and working together teacher and students foster a sense of community. When there are no winners and losers, aggressive behavior decreases and less time is wasted sorting out disputes.

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis actually investigated the effects of competitive and cooperative games on aggressive and cooperative behaviors of 70 children (4 to 5 years old) from four classes in three preschools using some of our games including Max®, Harvest Time®, Granny’s House®, and Sleeping Grump® and some of our Cooperative Physical Activities).

The key conclusions of the study are that co-operative games produce less aggressive behaviors during and after play and, that as a result, they require less direct supervision by the teachers, it’s a win/win. It could be argued that they would pay for themselves in saved teacher work-hours.